Dhamarukam

Synopsis: Andhakasura (Ravi Shankar) is the last surviving asura (demon) who comes back from eons of hibernation to take revenge against the gods who decimated his race. But to realise his dream he needs to sacrifice Maheswari (Anushka). But he finds an unlikely nemesis in Mallikarjuna (Nagarjuna).

Movie Review: The movie lives up to its tag of being a “visual effects extravaganza”, at least in terms of sheer quantity. With monsters, devils, sorcerers, gods, naga sadhus and the works. . .this movie probably packs more minutes of vfx than any other Telugu film.

But then quality of the computer generated gimmickry is much harder to ascertain. It depends on what the benchmark is, for they keep changing all the time. If you compare the visual experience with that of Kodi Ramakrishna’s 1995 film, Ammoru, this movie would be miles ahead. But compared to Arundhati and Eega, the wizardry seems marginally better at best, save the menacing monster that crops up in the climax episode.

The film has a very simple premise. At the beginning of universe when the gods waged a war against asuras they manage to vanquish all except Andhakasura. Seething with revenge he disappears into oblivion waiting for an opportune time to for vendetta. It presents itself in the form of Maheshwari who is born with the blessings of goddess Parvati. If Andhakasura can marry her and offer her as a sacrifice to the dark forces on the day of total solar eclipse he will be blessed with the power to rule the universe. But to have his way, he first needs to vanquish Mallikarjuna, a protége of Lord Shiva, who stands in the way.

Now that’s a decent premise to begin with but the characterization and narrative flow proves to be the film’s undoing. Prakash Raj looks a tad tacky playing Lord Shiva and looks more like Swami Nithyanada with a straight nose. Ravi Shankar’s get-up looks like a cheap imitation of the nepala manthrikudu character in Pathala Bhairavi. So perhaps more original imagination would have helped here. Brahmandam’s comic track is funny in parts.

As far as performances go, well they are over the top but fall short of being good, save for Nagarjuna who essays his role with his trademark panache. Well, Anushka has little to do as far as performance goes and does a good job of upping the glam quotient.

The background score by Devisri Prasad is pretty impressive and the sound of the dhol and chantings about Lord Shiva reverberate all through the film. The songs are good too. The graphics are good but they just seem to have a video game feel to them. It’s just that the movie doesn’t come together as an experience.

Tip Off: As long as you go to the movie not expecting to be blown off your seat, you won’t walk out disappointed.